People with high cholesterol are almost always advised to eat a low-fat diet by their therapist.
These dietary efforts are unfortunately often in vain, since we know that only 1/5 of this excess cholesterol is caused by diet. The remaining excessive 4/5 are caused by metabolic dysfunction. Since most diets don't work, most doctors happily prescribe statin drugs. Currently, many doctors prescribe them for prevention.
It was already known that statins are harmful and have frequent and numerous side effects. The American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) itself announced that new recommendations will have to be brought to the attention of patients in the package inserts of these drugs. Made public by the FDA, here is a list of the different statin-containing drugs: atorvastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin, pitavastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin and simvastatin. These statins are either used alone or in combination with ezetimibe, a cholesterol-lowering substance.
While chemical statins inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis in the liver, the associated molecules while ezetimibe selectively blocks cholesterol absorption in the intestine. We know that good cholesterol is very useful from a physiological and organic point of view since it is involved in the synthesis of neurotransmitters. This molecule therefore also inhibits the intestinal absorption of certain plant sterols, natural molecules that are very useful to our body. These chemical treatments are supposed to lower "bad" cholesterol levels, but they most certainly lower good cholesterol as well.
The FDA reports several types of adverse events associated with taking chemical statins. They can cause cognitive problems (memory loss, confusion, etc.) and hyperglycemia. Be aware that there are many others that are not mentioned here. Other drug interactions with lovastatin have also been reported.
The FDA therefore recommends that these side effects be clearly stated on the affected drugs, in order to inform both healthcare professionals and patients. Interviewed. The French Agency for Health Products Safety (AFSSAPS) states that "these risks have already been identified at the European level. Summaries of product characteristics (SPCs) must now be updated.
The U.S. Agency always recommends a liver enzyme (CPK) test before treatment and if the patient's condition requires it. A recommendation that the French Agency has been making since 2002.
However, the FDA believes that the requirement for regular testing of these enzymes for patients taking statins can be eliminated. She believes that the adverse effects of these drugs are rare, as are the serious liver complications caused by taking statins. This CPK assay would therefore be useless to prevent or detect adverse effects of these drugs.
According to Mary Parks, director of the Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products at the FDA, patients and health care professionals need to have as much information as possible about the risks of statins. It also states that the authorities must ensure that these drugs still have a largely positive benefit-risk ratio. One wonders what it is really like on the ground. Since the numerous side effects are hidden or minimized by the official control bodies.